More builders in Lee, Collier target entry-level home buyers

There are a lot of newer players building houses in Southwest Florida. These builders are going after entry-level home buyers, mid-level workers and frugal retirees in the fast-growing region’s ultra-competitive single-family home market. Rising rents are one of the factors driving the decision to buy because people can get their own, larger property for a similar cost in many cases. Other factors: unemployment rates are the lowest in over a decade and interest rates, though rising, are still historically low.